Daycare Effects on Child Development

Running Head : DAYCARE AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

The Effects of Day Care on Child Development (Name (College (Professor (Course

Abstract

With more mothers opting to take up employment , the demand for daycare centers has steadily increased through the years . While this kind of arrangement has benefits for both mother and child , there are certain questions as to what effects do day care centers have on the relationships between mother and child as well as a child 's cognitive development

Psychoanalysts like Freud , Erikson and Piaget have advanced several theories detailing stages

and influences in a child 's cognitive and personality development . While day care centers often design programs for interaction with children , the question remains whether day care is really the best thing for a child 's development

The Effects of Day Care on Child Development

In today 's fast-paced and finance driven world , day care centers have come to be the working mother 's best friend . With college education and financial motivations , the number of mothers joining the workforce continue to expand day by day . As a result , enrollments in day care centers have also risen considerably since day care centers first started in the 1840 's (Goodman , 1995

Day care is essentially placing children in the care of a paid person or group other than a child 's parents or legal guardians for a period of time . As opposed to baby sitting which is only temporary , day care is more formal and structured to the point of having activities and programs similar to that of a pre-school . While there are undeniably benefits offered by day care centers in terms of convenience and security for working moms as well as socialization and early learning opportunities for the children , critics say that there are also many risks and issues involved in placing children under paid for care

In a study conducted to measure the effects of daycare and maternal sensitivity , the researchers determined that the benefits and risks at day care centers depend highly on the quality of care given "Parents looking for a child-care environment should look for somewhere stimulating where caregivers are warm , responsible and engage children in conversation " Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek , one of the researchers said "In those environments , children thrive . It is not just a matter of someone talking to someone else , it is the dialogue that takes place (Duin 1997 ,

. 3

Critics of the growing reliance of mothers on day care centers however argue that a child 's relationship with his or her parents particularly within the ages of 0-3 is vital and can never be sufficiently replaced by hired day care no matter how high the cost or quality

Theorists in human cognitive development have all cited the importance of stimulus and social interaction in the development of children towards adulthood . This interaction includes primary relationships such as that between parent and child , interaction with the child and society , as well as how a child interacts with animate and inanimate objects . These interactions also include...